An Ocean of Light: Contemplation, Transformation, and Liberation - Laird, Martin Review & Synopsis

 Synopsis

For people drawn to a life of contemplation, the dawning of luminous awareness in a mind full of clutter is deeply liberating. In the third of his best-selling books on Christian contemplative life, Martin Laird turns his attention to those who are well settled in their contemplative practice.

An Ocean of Light speaks both to those just entering the contemplative path and to those with a maturing practice of contemplation. Gradually, the practice of contemplation lifts the soul, freeing it from the blockages that introduce confusion into our identity and thus confusion about the mystery we call God. In the course of a lifetime of inner silencing, the flower of awareness emerges: a living realization that we have never been separate from God or from the rest of humanity while we each fully become what each of us is created to be. In contemplation we become so silent before God that the "before" drops away. Those whose lives have led them deeply into the silent land realize this, but not in the way that we realize that the square root of 144 is 12.

Laird draws from a wide and diverse range of writers--from St. Augustine, Evagrius Ponticus, and St. Teresa of Avila to David Foster Wallace, Flannery O'Connor, Virginia Woolf, and Franz Wright--to ground his insight in an ancient practice and give it a voice in contemporary language. With his characteristic lyricism and gentleness, Laird guides readers through new challenges of contemplative life, such as making ourselves the focus of our own contemplative project; dealing with old pain; transforming the isolation of loneliness and depression into a liberating solidarity with all who suffer; and the danger of using a spiritual practice as a strategy to acquire and control.

Review

 Martin Laird , O.S.A, is Professor of Early Christian Studies at Villanova University. Laird is the author of several books on Early Christian thought and Christian contemplative life, including Into the Silent Land and A Sunlit Absence. He lectures widely through the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

"Once again, Martin Laird has given us a book on the contemplative journey that is without verbiage, mystification, or sentimentality, both intensely challenging and enriching, and anchored in realism. His writing on this subject is simply in a different league of seriousness from most other books on 'spiritual' practice." -- Rowan Williams, Master, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge

"In this his third volume on contemplative prayer, Martin Laird once again combines acute scholarly citations from the contemplative tradition with memorable narratives from his own direction. But this time he plumbs new depths of insight: the section on prayer and depression, in particular, is unique in its wisdom and insight. This is a new modern classic, and will stand the test of time. To be read and savoured again and again." -- Sarah Coakley, Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge

"A beautifully written, thoughtful and honest account of what it means to face oneself and our shared world in the silent depths of prayer. And so encouraging! A powerful reminder that the simple, daily, moment-to-moment practice of paying attention can heal and transform, can help bring us closer to God and to one another. The one thing necessary." -- Douglas E. Christie, author of The Blue Sapphire of the Mind

"Martin Laird is a gracious host; he presents the rich fare of the Christian contemplative tradition in an authentic twenty-first-century vernacular, and in so doing invites the reader-who could resist such an invitation?-to enter into the banquet of silent and loving communion with the living God." -- Carol Zaleski, Professor of World Religions, Smith College

An Ocean of Light

For people drawn to a life of contemplation, the dawning of luminous awareness in a mind full of clutter is deeply liberating. In the third of his best-selling books on Christian contemplative life, Martin Laird turns his attention to those who are well settled in their contemplative practice. An Ocean of Light speaks both to those just entering the contemplative path and to those with a maturing practice of contemplation. Gradually, the practice of contemplation lifts the soul, freeing it from the blockages that introduce confusion into our identity and thus confusion about the mystery we call God. In the course of a lifetime of inner silencing, the flower of awareness emerges: a living realization that we have never been separate from God or from the rest of humanity while we each fully become what each of us is created to be. In contemplation we become so silent before God that the "before" drops away. Those whose lives have led them deeply into the silent land realize this, but not in the way that we realize that the square root of 144 is 12. Laird draws from a wide and diverse range of writers--from St. Augustine, Evagrius Ponticus, and St. Teresa of Avila to David Foster Wallace, Flannery O'Connor, Virginia Woolf, and Franz Wright--to ground his insight in an ancient practice and give it a voice in contemporary language. With his characteristic lyricism and gentleness, Laird guides readers through new challenges of contemplative life, such as making ourselves the focus of our own contemplative project; dealing with old pain; transforming the isolation of loneliness and depression into a liberating solidarity with all who suffer; and the danger of using a spiritual practice as a strategy to acquire and control.

Anne England Nash (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1995), 360. Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives : The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus Vitovnica , compiled by the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, trans. Ana Smiljanic (Platina ..."

Finding Abundance in Scarcity

\ufeffAll churches have had to learn to do things differently during closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. None has been more imaginative or inventive than London’s St Martin in the Fields. Through its HeartEdge programmes, it has continued many aspects of its ministry, and developed significant new initiatives and is now a virtual college with an impressively varied programme for practitioners. Here the St Martin’s team reflects theologically and share its newly found pastoral and practical wisdom in many areas: • Finding God in Lockdown • Meeting God and One Another Online • Rediscovering Contemplative Prayer • Facing Grief amidst Separation • Preaching at Such a Time as This • Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Time • Hearing Scripture Together in Difficult Times • Praying through Crisis • Creating a Community of Practitioners • Finding Faith at Home • Conclusion: A Strategy for Transformation The Contributors are all on the staff at St Martin’s and key figures in HeartEdge: Sam Wells, Richard Carter, Sally Hitchiner, Fiona MacMillan, Jonathan Evens and Andrew Earis.

To put it boldly, contemplation is the only ultimate answer to the unreal and insane world that our financial ... Martin Laird , An Ocean of Light : Contemplation , Transformation and Liberation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), pp."

The Insurmountable Darkness of Love

This text is a reflection on the meaning of spiritual darkness - especially those difficult places in human experience where meaning seems to elude us, where we are emptied out and are compelled to dig deeper into who we truly are. Douglas E. Christie takes up this facet of experience, in ordinary human experience, but also in relation to the Christian contemplative and mystical traditions, where such experience is often understood to be both painful and transformative, allowing the mind and heart to open in love.

 Laird , Martin . Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation . New York: Oxford, 2006. Laird , Martin . An Ocean of Light : Contemplation , Transformation, and Liberation . New York: Oxford University Press, 2019."

Deep Calls To Deep

Through contemplative practice we can experience that our little circle is not outside the big circle but actually ... 14 Martin Laird , An Ocean of Light : Contemplation , Transformation, and Liberation (New York: Oxford University Press, ..."

Overhearing a Christian Apology to the Nones

While the steady increase of the religiously unaffiliated Nones in America has generated anxious responses about rising secularism and loss of national identity, this book suggests a wider meaning-making approach wherein the Nones are seen as valuable dialogue partners necessary in this pivotal moment for the revealing of still hidden truths about culture, spirituality, and religion. Christians who overhear this dialogue may find upon self-reflection an emerging truth about their relationships, embedded stories, level of faith development, and susceptibility to a culturally conditioned, transactional religion. Nones who choose to engage in dialogue may find that the “nothingness” they bring to the dialogue is more significant than they realize, revealing truths of an apophatic spiritual path necessary for generating a transformational faith of freedom and capable of rebalancing a divisive, consumer-driven society. The religious and the not-religious, who are often seen as being on opposite sides of an imagined religious threshold, may instead be seen as standing together in a liminal space that opens in wordless silence to yet unseen possibilities and from which emerge new stories aligned with the heart of Creation.

 New York: Seabury, 1970. Friedman , Edwin H . A Failure of Nerve : Leadership in an Age of the Quick Fix . New York: Church Publishing, 2007. Fuller, Robert C. “Minds of Their Own: Psychological Substrates of the Spiritual but Not Religious ..."

Reconnect

Protect your time. Prioritize relationships. Restore your spirit. Technology teaches us to crave the hum and buzz of activity and the dopamine hit of notifications. Yet social media and technology have shortened our attention spans, disrupted our connections with others, and even muddled our spirituality. In Reconnect, contemplative author and retreat leader Ed Cyzewski investigates the crisis of attention that is leading to mental health challenges and extending to our souls. Yet the Christian contemplative tradition—deeply rooted in the spiritual traditions and practices of the church—offers a way forward, grinding the gears of this frenetic activity and thinking to an unspectacular halt. For all its benefits and promises, technology trains its users to pursue the exact opposite of contemplative prayer practices every day, claims Cyzewski. Grounded in current research into the impact of technology, Reconnect helps Christians rewire their technology addictions and train themselves to be present and aware of God rather than tuned into the constant distractions and deceptions of this digital age. When phones go dark and social media feeds stop scrolling, can we step into a deeper stillness and presence with an always present God?

Chapter 4 Henri J. M. Nouwen , e Way of the Heart : Connecting with God through Prayer , Wisdom, and Silence (New York: Seabury, 1981), 25–26. 1 Bob Smietana, “Most Churches Offer Wi-Fi but Skip Twitter,” LifeWay Research, January 9, ..."

Deep and Wide

Commitment to a life of prayer and community can prove to be a great help for those involved in politics. Rather than being distracted away from action, Evan B. Howard argues that committed Christians often find both freedom and empowerment to contribute to the greater good of the world. A review of the history of committed Christian life (monasticism) shows that devout communities have engaged in a wide range of socio-political arenas. We can explore today what nuns and monks have accomplished in the past. We can speak into political conversations. We can care for those in need. We can model new ways of ordering life together. We can take concrete political action in governmental process. We can pray. This book blends examination of history with musings about the Christian life and politics generally. It also offers a collection of monastic practices to equip communities and individuals to embody an appropriate blend of “deep” and “wide” for themselves.

 Laird , Martin . Into the Silent Land : A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation . Oxford : Oxford University Press , 2006 . An Ocean of Light : Contemplation , Transformation , and Liberation ."

Following Jesus in the Holy Land

Reflecting on the key locations of Jesus’ life and ministry, this book invites Holy Land visitors and armchair pilgrims to reflect on Christian discipleship through Advent and Lent.

15 A good place to begin this process is with Martin Laird , Into the Silent Land: The Practice of Contemplation ... 2011) and An Ocean of Light : Contemplation , Transformation and Liberation (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019)."

Living Resurrected Lives

Christ's bodily resurrection is the foundation of Christian faith; at least, it is supposed to be. But how often do we really consider what that means? Living Resurrected Lives explores what it would take for Christians to understand and believe so clearly in resurrection--both Christ's glorification and the promise of our own--that our lives would be radically transformed by that faith right now. We take a daringly integrated approach, balancing careful consideration of sacred Scripture with attention to history, theology, and personal contemplative practice. We offer arguments to re-establish a firm bedrock for belief in the Gospel accounts, suggest a new theological perspective that integrates scientific insights into quantum uncertainty with reflections on the malleable nature of identity, and provide heart-stirring guided meditations for daily practice. We elucidate St. Paul's teachings on the transformation of the body and grapple with age-old conundrums about decaying corpses and the continuity of personal identity: What dies? What lives on? We revisit early Christian intuitions about the sublime qualities of the glorified body and explore how we might cultivate such qualities through our own individual practice. Thus we propose an embodied resurrection mysticism that can permeate every moment of our lives.

 Laird , Martin , OSA. Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Meditation . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. ———. An Ocean of Light : Contemplation , Transformation, and Liberation . Oxford: Oxford University Press, ..."